Bloomington-Normal hospitals have a few more intensive care beds available than they did heading into the Thanksgiving weekend, but a rise in COVID testing positivity could increase demand for those beds soon.The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) reported 467 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Friday through Sunday, as the county’s seven-day testing positivity rate rose from 8.3% to 10.5%. That exceeds state and national averages.
Hospitalizations often are a lagging indicator, coming after a spike in cases or positivity rate.
MCHD said 22 McLean County residents are hospitalized due to COVID-19. That’s up two from Friday as the percentage of beds in use rose from 76% to 86% during that time. ICU beds are 85% occupied, compared with 96% on Friday.
McLean County reported 1,465 COVID patients are isolating at home, while 7,043 people have completed their time in quarantine and are considered recovered.
Fifty McLean County residents have died from COVID-related complications since the start of the pandemic.
MCHD Administrator Jessica McKnight recommends anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 at a holiday gathering, or while traveling, to quarantine for 14 days and watch for COVID-symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath.
“We are seeing a surge of the coronavirus across the entire country,” McKnight said. “It is recommended that anyone who traveled to another part of the country, or got together with people outside of their household, assess their risk for contracting COVID-19 and consider self-quarantining to help mitigate the spread of the virus as we enter the holiday season.”
McKnight recommends waiting 5 to 7 days after possible exposure to get tested since it can take up to 14 days to show signs of infection.
“Most people will show a positive test by day seven,” McKnight said.
The COVID-19 testing site at the Interstate Center in Bloomington is open for testing daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reditus Labs conducted 1,417 tests over the holiday weekend at the site.
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